Civil society’s push to use green building best practices in the country’s construction industry received the necessary boost from the Ministry of Public Works. The Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC) and Ministry of Public Works on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to leverage their networks to promote best practices in sustainably built environments across the entire building supply chain in the country.

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Dubai Electricity and Water Authority ( DEWA ) has organised its first Sustainable Office workshop, which is an interactive workshop on efficient use of energy and water. The workshop, organised in collaboration with Emirates Wildlife Society – Worldwide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF), was held at DEWA ‘s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz. Organising the workshop supports DEWA ‘s vision to become a sustainable world-class utility, and its efforts to raise awareness on global warming and climate change.

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HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), led the 31st meeting of the Council, attended by HE Ahmad Al Muhairbi, Secretary General, and members – Saeed Khoory, CEO of ENOC, Abdullah Abdel Kareem, Director General of the Department of Oil Affairs, Waleed Salman, Chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, Dr. Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency at the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), as well as representatives of the Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP). In line with the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which aims to cut energy demand by up to 30% in 2030, Etihad ESCO, a Super ESCO (Energy Service Company) was mandated by the DSCE to identify buildings at DEWA, the Dubai International Financial Centre, Jebel Ali Free Zone and Dubai Police facilities to set international standards in adopting effective energy efficiency measure,” said Al Tayer.

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Government’s sustainability initiative helps schools in the UAE capital conserve water and electricity. The Sustainable Schools Initiative (SSI) programme, initiated by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) which encourages students to preserve the environment, is already yielding tangible results. The Abu Dhabi Indian School (ADIS) alone saves 49,000 litres of water daily.

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An agreement was signed between Oman’s Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAECO) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar ) to build the first wind energy power plant in Oman. The first-of-its-kind project in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is in line with the government’s long-term vision to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and slash energy subsidies. It will be the first large-scale wind farm project in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to Emirates News Agency.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will soon require increased insulation in all new buildings across 24 major cities that, in total, account for 80 percent of the country’s population. The action intends to substantially cut energy consumption and waste, as a properly insulated structure can reduce electricity bills up to 40 percent. It is estimated that only 25.4% of the Kingdom’s buildings are thermally insulated. In Jeddah, 87.5% of the buildings lack insulation, the ratio is 72.6% in the Eastern Province and in Riyadh racks up 51.3% percent according to a report issued last year.

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Qatar Green Building Council has urged the public to join the country’s quest for sustainability at a networking event. Attended by more than 100 experts and green activists from across various sectors of Qatar’s economy, the Qatar Foundation shared plans and the country’s vision for a greener future. QGBC is supporting Qatar Foundation by helping the country to establish an enlightened society and a post-hydrocarbon, knowledge-based economy. With members that includes volunteers and a number of interest groups, such as water, solid waste, energy, healthy building, and facility management interest groups, QGBC’s membership base is growing rapidly.

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Saudi Arabia-based power and water project developer ACWA Power is seeking to secure or arranging finance for $15 billion worth of projects, nearly half of which are in renewable energy, its chief executive said. The company, which plans to list its shares on the Saudi stock market, has projects operating or under construction in countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Turkey, Morocco and some African and southeast Asian states.

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The drinking water and sanitation ministry has set a target of installing 20,000 solar power-based pumping systems in tribal and inaccessible hamlets/ habitation during this financial year to provide potable piped water to the locals. The central government has implemented similar innovative scheme in Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts during last financial year in which a single phase, one horse power, solar energy-based submersible pump was installed in a high yield borewell, which already is a hand pump. In such cases, water pumped from the system can be stored in an elevated tank and the water can reach every household through pipes.

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The study revealed that the cooling of Earth and continental ice build-up in the Northern Hemisphere 2.7 million years ago coincided with a shift in the circulation of the ocean – which pulls in heat and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic and moves them through the deep ocean from north to south until it’s released in the Pacific. This led to global climate change at the time and it could be said that the formation of the ocean conveyor cooled the earth and created the climate we live in now.

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EU leaders have reached a landmark deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The binding decision came after heated discussions at a summit in Brussels, as some members had argued that their varied interests should be protected. Correspondents say the final deal is a compromise between countries that rely heavily on coal, and those willing to instil greater emissions cuts.

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Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli ordered a temporary shutdown of factories to ensure air quality during a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Beijing next month. It is the strongest measure yet to curb pollution for the Nov. 7-11 meeting in the capital, which has been enveloped by heavy smog over the past few days. In an effort to ease traffic congestion and curb pollution, Beijing has already announced that public workers in the capital will be given six days off during the APEC meeting.

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Thanks to the worst drought in eight decades in south eastern Brazil, water levels have dropped dramatically in the reservoirs that supply São Paulo, the country’s largest city. New satellite imagery from NASA reveals that critical reservoirs there have dwindled to 3 to 5 percent of storage capacity, creating shortages in the region. Rainfall totals in the region this year are 12 to 16 inches (300 to 400 millimeters) below normal. Some scientists have suggested that the deforestation in Brazil may be partly responsible for the drought, since loss of evapotranspiration from trees is known to reduce cloud formation.

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